Double the Magic-TWO new ships coming!

[Tink1]

The Walt Disney Company plans to expand its successful cruise business by adding two new ocean liners, President and CEO Bob Iger announced today. Scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, the ships will more than double the passenger capacity for Disney Cruise Line® to meet the sustained demand for Disney's family cruise vacations.

The new 122,000-ton cruise liners will be two decks taller than the existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic® and the Disney Wonder®. Each ship will have 1,250 staterooms. Specific design plans and itineraries for the yet-unnamed ships are still in development and will be unveiled at a later date.

[Tink1]

The Walt Disney Company plans to expand its successful cruise business by adding two new ocean liners, President and CEO Bob Iger announced. Scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, the ships will more than double the passenger capacity for Disney Cruise Line® to meet the sustained demand for Disney’s family cruise vacations.

The company signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft shipyard, based in Papenburg, Germany, to negotiate a contract to build the 122,000-ton new cruise liners, which will be two decks taller than the existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic® and the Disney Wonder®. Each ship will have 1,250 staterooms. Specific design plans and itineraries for the yet-unnamed ships are still in development and will be unveiled at a later date.

“Since our maiden voyage in 1998, the Disney Cruise Line® has been a huge success for our guests and for our shareholders alike,” Iger said. “It has brought our unparalleled family vacation experience to the high seas, and has also generated high margins and double digit returns on invested capital. We’re excited to announce the expansion of our fleet, which is a logical next step in what is a real growth business for us.”

Disney Cruise Line® established the family market within the cruise industry when the business launched in 1998. The first two ships were purpose built for families to reconnect and recharge while creating vacation memories that will last a lifetime. From a theater featuring live musical spectaculars to a luxurious spa for adults and nearly an entire deck dedicated to children’s activities, the ships offer something for every member of the family. Disney Cruise Line® continues to grow by attracting passengers who say they would not have cruised if it hadn’t been for the Disney brand.

“Focusing on families has been smart business for us,” said Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “More than 95 percent of Disney Cruise Line® guests rate their cruise experience as excellent or very good. Families know they can trust us to provide a quality, immersive Disney experience. As a result, Disney Cruise Line® continually sets sail with the highest load factors in the industry of nearly 150 percent.”

Similar to the original Disney Cruise Line® ships, the new ships will be a modern interpretation of classic ocean liners of the 1930s. Disney Imagineers drew their inspiration from the original trans-Atlantic ships that featured a dramatic black hull with two funnels and porthole windows. The profile of the ships, with its gentle curves at the stern combined with sleek angles at the bow, are reminiscent of the art deco designs of the era. To add whimsy to the classic design, the Disney ships have the same exterior color palette as Mickey Mouse with black, white, red and yellow. The new ships will feature elegant, detailed Disney scrollwork at the bow and will evoke images of the glamour of the golden age of cruising.

Tom McAlpin, the President of Disney Cruise Line®, said, “This is an exciting time for Disney Cruise Line®, and we are looking forward to working with Meyer Werft to blend our innovation and creativity with their fine craftsmanship. Meyer Werft has a long tradition of building magnificent ships. We are confident that the result will be ships that take the immersive Disney family-focused cruise experience to an entirely new level.”

New itineraries

Disney Cruise Line®, which traditionally offers 3-, 4- and 7-night Caribbean cruises, has also enjoyed strong demand for new itineraries. Trips to the Mediterranean and to the West Coast have recently set booking records within the company and booked 30-50 percent faster than the existing itineraries at higher prices.

“With a larger fleet, we’ll have greater flexibility to offer a variety of itineraries,” Rasulo said. “This is a business that our guests love, and we’re pleased to give them more options to explore the world with Disney with two new ships.”

[stitchfan]

I'm speechless......





Stitchfan

[Piglet822]

Nanci, thank you for finally putting those rumors to rest about a new ship This is very exciting news! Will both ships be on the West Coast? Or will they also be docking at Port Canaveral?

[GrumpyFan]

Outstanding!

We've never taken a cruise, Disney or others, but would love to sometime in the future.

So, is it too early to start a "name the new ships game"?

Obvious choices would be "Mickey" and "Minnie".

[Tink1]

Nanci, thank you for finally putting those rumors to rest about a new ship This is very exciting news! Will both ships be on the West Coast? Or will they also be docking at Port Canaveral?

They have not released home ports or Itineraries yet. It will be interesting to see what comes.

Nanc

[Eros980]

My family heard about two new ships being built this past january when we cruised on the Disney Wonder. I am even more excited now that it has been officially announced! To bad so far away though, crew members on the ship speculated the growth within the next two years...

As far as the name the ships game, They will most likely stick with words that portray the ideas of Disney theme parks, rather than character names. I look to see the "Disney Dream" and the "Disney Imagination" to Join the "Disney Magic" and "Disney Wonder"...

[Figment!]

New Fleet Concept Art

[Figment!]

New Ship Concept Art

[ElenitaB]

Thanks for posting this, Nanc! What wonderful news. Can you guess that I'm happy?

2011 is an important year for me... God willing we will be on one of the new ships... particularly if they have a cruise on or around either June 20th or August 3rd!

Is it my imagination or does the fourth ship look smaller? (Say, cruise in Alaska smaller?)

[Figment!]

Is it my imagination or does the fourth ship look smaller? (Say, cruise in Alaska smaller?)

It does appear that way, but it is likely a skewed perspective of the art.

The above announcement states that the two new ships will each be 122,000-tons --as compared to the current 83,000-ton ships.

[ElenitaB]

Disney's Iger Tells CNBC: Cruises Deliver High Margins, Returns
Walt Disney Co By CNBC.com | 22 Feb 2007 | 03:17 PM

Disney announced today that it would double its fleet of cruise ships by adding two new ships in 2011 and 2012.
--------------------------------------------------------

Walt Disney Walt Disney Co (DIS) plans to add two cruise ships to its existing lineup, in an effort to meet increasing demand and provide more trip destinations, Robert Iger, Disney's president and chief executive officer, told CNBC.

Disney, which currently has two ships, said the new ocean liners will hit the waves in 2011 and 2012. Each ship with have 1,250 rooms.

"This has been a great business for the company," Iger told CNBC. "We've had high margins and double-digit returns on our invested capital. It’s also a great brand builder. These ships are great ambassadors for Disney around the world."

Disney, which entered the cruise business in 1998, said the new 122,000-ton cruise liners will be two decks taller than the existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder.

"This is a big deal because it expands their non-theme park business," reports CNBC's Julia Boorstin. "This has been a strong enough business that they see real potential in doubling their capacity."

Disney signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft shipyard, based in Papenburg, Germany, to build the ships. Specific design plans and itineraries for the still unnamed ships are in development and will be unveiled at a later date. But Disney did say that the ships will combine art deco elements reminiscent of ocean liners in the 1930's, with an exterior color scheme matching Mickey Mouse's trademark black, white, red and yellow.

Disney Cruise Line's trips to new destinations, including the West Coast and the Mediterranean, have recently set booking records, the company said. Disney had traditionally offered three-night, four-night and seven-night Caribbean cruises.

The larger fleet will also provide Disney with more flexibility to provide a variety of itineraries, Iger said. "We are looking at a lot of different itineraries around the world," he added.

Beyond the cruise business, Disney is also focused on growing its brand in other channels such as the Web. The company relaunched Disney.com a few weeks ago, Iger said.

"We believe the Internet should be looked at as a entertainment experience," Iger told CNBC. "That's a direction we are taking...and the effects have been really positive."

Iger is also upbeat on the prospects for its ABC television unit: "ABC has a really balanced schedule. They added two shows that are doing quite well in "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers and Sisters,"" Iger told CNBC, adding that there's still strength in hits like "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Lost," among others. "I'm confident in the management of ABC and the direction that it’s going."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end article~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So in short (or in "larger") the two new 122,000-ton ships, will each have room for 4,000 guests in 1,250 cabins, as compared to the current fleet which at 83,000-tons accomodate 2,400 guests in 877 cabins. Also, the new ships will be two decks taller! That's a lot more verandah staterooms!

[Mr. Brass Bonanza]

Awesome news! I think I knew the first cruise my kids will be going on!

[DisneyDudet]

YAY! I'll hafta try a new ship out! Its not really that far away guys!!!

[Ed]

My unsolicited and unscientific predictions:

• Names will be "Disney Dreams" and "Disney Wishes"
• One of the new ships and one of the older ones will be based in California
• The other new one and the remaining older one will stay in Florida

I suspect the larger ships will be used for 7-night cruises, and the smaller ones for 3 and 4 night cruises.

Let's see in a few years how accurate my guesses are....

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

That is awesome news. We took a cruise on the Disney Wonder in 2003 and just loved it. I can't wait to try one of the new ships.
I like the name Disney Dream for one of the ships. Could name the second one Disney Wish.
It would be very cool if they would do a contest for the name and the most entered names would be picked.

[Ed]

I look to see the "Disney Dream" and the "Disney Imagination" to Join the "Disney Magic" and "Disney Wonder"...

That won't happen. Carnival Cruise Lines already has a ship named "Imagination" that cruises the Caribbean.

[caryrae]

"Disney Fantasy" might be good name for one.

[MissT]

I hope that one will go from the west coast to HI with land time at Disneyland.

[Figment!]

Disney Cruise Line Signs Contract with Meyer Werft To Build Two New Ships
New ships will more than double passenger capacity

CELEBRATION, Fla. (April 23, 2007) -- Disney Cruise Line announced today that it has finalized a contract with Meyer Werft shipyard to build two new ships.

Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin and Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft shipyard of Papenburg, Germany, signed the contract in front of several hundred cheering cast members at a Disney Cruise Line cast gathering this morning.

"This is an exciting time at Disney Cruise Line, and we are looking forward to working with Meyer Werft to build two new innovative ships that will take our immersive family-focused cruise experience to an entirely new level," McAlpin said.

Plans to add two 124,000-ton ships to the fleet were announced in February when executives signed a letter of intent to negotiate a construction contract with Meyer Werft.

Scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, the ships will more than double the passenger capacity for Disney Cruise Line to meet the sustained demand for Disney's family cruise vacations.

The new ocean liners will be significantly larger than the existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder with 1,250 staterooms each. Both ships will be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Disney Cruise Line established the family market within the cruise industry when the business launched in 1998. The first two ships were purpose built for families to reconnect and recharge while creating vacation memories that will last a lifetime. From a theater featuring live musical spectaculars to a luxurious spa for adults and nearly an entire deck dedicated to children's activities, the ships truly offer something for everyone.

Similar to the original Disney Cruise Line ships, the new ships will be modern interpretations of classic ocean liners of the 1930s. Disney Imagineers drew their inspiration from the original trans-Atlantic ships that featured a dramatic black hull with two funnels and porthole windows. The profile of the ships, with gentle curves at the stern combined with sleek angles at the bow, is reminiscent of the art deco designs of the era. To add whimsy to the classic design, the Disney ships feature the same exterior colors as Mickey Mouse, with a black, white, red and yellow palette. The new ships will feature elegant, detailed Disney scrollwork at the bow and evoke images of the glamour of the golden age of cruising.

New itineraries

Disney Cruise Line, which traditionally offers 3-, 4- and 7-night Caribbean cruises, has enjoyed strong demand for new itineraries. Trips to the Mediterranean and to the West Coast have recently set booking records within the company.

"Expanding our fleet will give us the flexibility to offer a variety of itineraries in the future," McAlpin said. "We are looking forward to taking our guests on new adventures to different parts of the world with Disney Cruise Line."